Superior Court of California, Marina Division - Marina, California

Chris Cain Law

First, I am a criminal defense attorney and I fight traffic tickets in this courthouse regularly. I have been representing drivers here for years. I know the system very well and the judges / staff know me. So I realize that my experience is different from the average defendant's experience.

For example, I have a little pass that allows me walk around the metal detector while everyone else stands in line. It almost feels like the whole system is set up that way.

That said, I see people go through these courts all of the time, making mistakes that cost them hundreds or thousands of dollars or points on their license. Or their time is wasted. Even little mistakes add up. I want to jump in and help them but I can't. The court isn't exactly trying to help them either. The cops definitely aren't helping. It's as though the system is against them.

All I would say is that if you're going to fight your case or have a mandatory appearance, know your rights and insist on them.

For me and my experience, I would give this courthouse 4/5 stars. For the average driver, 1/5. There are many more drivers than there are people like me, so the courthouse rates 2/5.

As an attorney, my malpractice insurance says that I need to say that this isn't legal advice.

Julian Tsai

Got a ticket from a speed trap with no cars around me. Filed a TBWD and posted bail with a check. Made the mistake of not writing "for not guilty verdict" on back of check, and the court just cashed my check and closed the case with no consideration.

Sucks a lot, I do a lot of big commutes for my work and my flawless driving record has to get hit with a fat ticket. Guess I am to blame, but feels unfair and paying a lot to the state and my insurance.

Marcelo Perez

It's my first time getting a ticket and didn't even knew the proces it took 3 days out of my work. At end of the day the judge will be easy with whoever she likes or dislikes Specially if you're Hispanic.

Devon Michael

A few months ago, I was t-boned in Monterey while on my way to work. Officers were quick to respond. They looked over my dashcam footage and even contacted my husband for me.

When they requested my license, I handed them my expired one from my home state. There's a provision there that exempts military spouses like me from having to renew our licenses when we're residing out of state, mainly because it's unreasonable to travel thousands of miles just for a renewal.

My husband serves in the military, and I tried to explain this. But they cited me regardless.

At the court hearing, I presented my expired ID and the specific home state law about the military spouse exemption. The response I got was: “You’re not in [your home state], you’re in California.” In the end, I had a totaled car, and had to pay a substantial fine for supposedly "driving without a valid license."

keanu ramos

Was unable to make it for my mandatory court appearance (cop tailgated me going “high 70s” on the Highway and ticketed me when I was in the slow lane with cars going faster) and called few days beforehand. I understand it’s logical to request a change of date at least 10 days but emergencies aren’t always 10 days out. I was told I can only leave a note for the commissioner to see, no email address available and no other options. Judge had no sympathy. The receptionist is nice but there’s nothing she can do, that I can’t do online, I can do next to nothing online. Only thing I can do is write a letter and mail it to the court or have the court mail me whatever I need. Being away from the location, it is completely inconvenient. Marina Traffic court is terrible.

E H

This "judge" is terrible. She will admit that you are right in most cases, yet still tell you to "pay the fine". Watched her do this unjustly to about 10 people, including myself. Especially during these trying financial times due to the virus, as a judge, you are supposed to be for the people, and determine whether violations were committed that justify a fine. This woman is painfully obvious at being a pawn and upholding money grab citations issued by the locality. Pathetic place to live, knowing they are out for your wallet, and have 0 regard for their citizens financial hardships. A few left in tears. It is sickening. Someone should petition for her resignation. Along with the PDs no warning policy in the city. You are extorting your citizens.

Jesse High

To preface this review, I should say that I'm a temporary resident of this area, due to my military assignment to the area, and not a long-term resident of California.

That being said, where I come from I would not have experienced the same level of frustration at a flawed system that I experienced in Marina. I've already left my review of the Marina Police Department, and their part in the debacle that cost us over $100 for my wife reacting responsibly to a headlight going out on her 10-minute drive home from Marina. The court system had its own role, however, and to the tune of $75, plus a $5 'convenience' fee for using a debit card.

To start off, that convenience fee is garbage. If I'm standing at the clerk's counter, and it's 2019, then using a debit card to pay a fine isn't an alternative method that's more convenient than standing there writing a check. This is a relic from the old days of credit card carbon copies, and they are using it to justify skimming additional money from the accounts of those they are supposed to be serving.

Beyond that, we were charged $75 for what amounted to a headlight that went out on the 10-minute drive from Marina to civilization, plus a senior police officer's using my wife's pull-over as a way to train the new guy, which resulted in her phone dying so that she couldn't provide proof of insurance, and her following his instructions resulting in her not being able to provide proof of registration because the registration paperwork was sitting on the floor instead of in the glove box.

To top all that off, there is a prominent sign sitting on the wall of the courthouse stating that fines that aren't paid forthright will incur an additional $55 fee, but the signs forbidding me from photography or cell phone use wouldn't let me snap a shot of it. This is, I'm sure, to encourage people to take responsibility for their financial accounts, but looking at the people standing in line with us this morning, and experiencing first-hand the Marina police department, I feel like this amounts to a poor tax. Even before going and seeing the reviews suggesting that the MPD fabricates situations to extort money from the people, I was already getting the impression that such was the case. I don't know if it's intentional or accidental collusion, but the courthouse seems to be adding an additional burden to an already abused group of people falling under a flawed jurisdiction.

I'm not issuing a formal complaint, since this isn't the channel for it. I've got limited time to fix problems, and enough work keeping me busy fixing those problems of how taxpayer money is spent within the military channels in which I actually function officially, so I'm just leaving an two-star review here to warn people, and perhaps serve as fodder for some future resident who feels like taking up the cause of issuing a formal complaint, or some future inspector coming in to check on the system at work in Marina. Not all is right, and while there are no doubt some good people working within this system who have every intention to serve the people, there is a structure in place that is abusive to the citizens it should be protecting.

Ben Matthews

Need to update their phone lines. They have an actual function phone tree which is practically unheard of today but when I get to a clerk no matter what I do they can never hear me. Land line on WIFI on satellite nothing can make them clearly hear me. I can call any other business or person just fine.